The present invention relates to fabric care compositions comprising a perfume, methods for using such compositions and systems for their use in a lipophilic fluid treatment process. More particularly, the present invention relates to fabric care compositions and systems comprising a perfume, and methods for using such compositions in the cleaning and treatment of garments with a lipophilic fluid.
For centuries, fabric articles have been washed using water-based processes. In the last century, this home chore was greatly simplified by the development of the automatic washing machine. However, while greatly simplifying the home laundry process, even the home laundry process using the automatic washing machine still requires a significant amount of presorting fabric articles by color and textiles. Typically whites are washed separately from colored fabrics, and brightly colored fabric articles (e.g., dark reds and blues) from less highly colored articles. Further sorting and handling is required when the fabric articles to be laundered include xe2x80x9cdry clean onlyxe2x80x9d articles.
More recently, water conservation efforts and environmental concerns have driven laundry machine manufacturers and laundry detergent manufacturers to reduce the amount of water required in the home laundry process. However, such efforts have focused on reducing water consumption by the wash medium rather than changing the wash medium from a primarily water based process.
In parallel, concerns have arisen around the use of xe2x80x9cPercxe2x80x9d (short for perchloroethylene) as the wash medium for the commercial dry cleaning process. These concerns have lead to the development of a significant number of proposed alternatives to the Perc-based processes, but to date all other alternatives are still not widely used. Examples include hydrocarbons and liquid carbon dioxide. A more recently proposed option as a replacement for Perc in the commercial dry cleaning field involves the use of siloxanes as the cleaning solution for xe2x80x9cdry clean onlyxe2x80x9d fabric articles (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,942,007, Aug. 24, 1999; 6,042,617 and 6,042,618, both Mar. 28, 2000; 6,056,789, May 2, 2000; 6,059,845, May 9, 2000; and 6,063,135, May 16, 2000).
It has been discovered that further simplification of the automatic home laundry process and elimination of the reliance on a solely water based home laundry process are possible by using a lipophilic fluid-based wash medium for the home laundry process. This process allows not only the home cleaning of a consumer""s xe2x80x9cdry clean onlyxe2x80x9d fabric articles, but also those xe2x80x9cmachine washxe2x80x9d articles conventionally washed at home in a water wash medium. Further while the consumer may still opt to wash such articles separately, the present invention process allows the consumer the freedom to significantly simplify the home laundry process by washing mixed loads of xe2x80x9cdry clean onlyxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cmachine washxe2x80x9d articles, thereby greatly reducing the presorting effort.
With such a dramatic change in the wash process comes the risk that the consumer""s expectations, built up over generations of practicing the old water based system of laundering, will not be metxe2x80x94not because of cleaning performance deficiencies but due simply to the fact that the process looks so different.
Consumers, in general, have come to expect their clothes to smell xe2x80x9ccleanxe2x80x9d, which may mean having any number of perfume compositions delivered to the clothes during the wash process. However, delivery of perfumes to the lipophilic fluid systems useful for the new wash process, especially closed systems whereby the lipophilic fluid is recycled during the wash process and reused following a recovery process, creates a new world of problems and considerations for such a process.
Another risk associated with lipophilic fluid-based wash medium is the odor associated with lipophilic fluids. Lipophilic fluids usually contain significant levels of offensive odor contaminants.
Accordingly, there is a need for fabric care compositions and systems that comprise a perfume composition wherein the perfume composition can mask and/or deodorize the fabric care composition and/or the perfume composition can be delivered to a fabric during a lipophilic fluid-based wash process; and methods employing such compositions and/or systems for treating fabrics in need of treatment.
The present invention fulfills the needs identified above by providing a composition and/or system comprising perfume composition for use in a lipophilic fluid fabric treatment system.
In one aspect of the present invention, a fabric care composition comprising:
a) a lipophilic fluid; and
b) a perfume composition, preferably comprising a lasting perfume ingredient selected from the group consisting of enduring perfume ingredients, low odor detection threshold perfume ingredients, and mixes thereof;
In another aspect of the present invention, a fabric care composition comprising:
a) a lipophilic fluid; and
b) a perfume composition, preferably comprising a lasting perfume ingredient selected from the group consisting of enduring perfume ingredients, low odor detection threshold perfume ingredients, and mixes thereof;
c) an emulsifier; and
d) water, is provided.
In another preferred embodiment, a fabric care composition comprising a perfume composition, preferably comprising a lasting perfume ingredient selected from the group consisting of enduring perfume ingredients, low odor detection threshold perfume ingredients and mixtures thereof, is sprayed onto a fabric article in liquid form using the lipophilic fluid as the carrier vehicle.
In another preferred embodiment, a fabric care composition comprising a perfume composition, preferably comprising a lasting perfume ingredient selected from the group consisting of enduring perfume ingredients, low odor detection threshold perfume ingredients and mixtures thereof, is applied to a fabric article by way of a vapor phase, preferably by spraying or misting onto the fabric article via a nozzle sprayer.
In yet another preferred embodiment, a fabric care composition comprising a perfume composition, preferably comprising a lasting perfume ingredient selected from the group consisting of enduring perfume ingredients, low odor detection threshold perfume ingredients and mixtures thereof, wherein the composition is in a form, preferably a gel-matrix form or an impregnated sheet form, such that the perfume composition is applied to a fabric article when the composition is placed in a stream of impinging gas, preferably heated gas, preferably air, such as air used for drying the fabric article. In other words, the perfume composition is transferred to the fabric article via the gas during for example a drying cycle for the fabric article.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for treating a fabric in need of treatment comprising contacting said fabric with a fabric care composition according to the present invention, is provided.
In still yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for delivering a perfume composition to a fabric comprising contacting said fabric with a fabric care composition according to present invention such that said perfume composition is delivered to said fabric.
In even yet another aspect of the present invention, a fabric treated by the method according to the present invention is provided.
Still another aspect of the present invention, a perfumed fabric produced by the method according to the present invention is provided.
Yet another aspect of the present invention, a perfume delivery system comprising:
a) a lipophilic fluid; and
b) a perfume composition, preferably comprising a lasting perfume ingredient selected from the group consisting of enduring perfume ingredients, low odor detection threshold perfume ingredients and mixtures thereof;
wherein said perfume composition is delivered to a fabric upon contacting said fabric, is provided.
Still yet another aspect of the present invention, an article of manufacture comprising a fabric care composition according to the present invention packaged in association with instructions for using said fabric care composition for treating a fabric in need of treatment comprising the step of contacting said fabric with said fabric care composition, is provided.
The contacting of the fabric article by the perfume composition and optionally, the lipophilic fluid preferably occurs within one apparatus comprising the fabric article to be treated.
Accordingly, the present invention provides compositions and/or systems comprising a perfume, methods for using the compositions, and an article of manufacture comprising the composition.